Odyssey of a Lost mind 2
by eternalwarzone
Summary: Alex is a normal college student whose world is torn apart when his hometown is attacked by mysterious monsters. Emily is a princess who learns the art of battle behind her fathers back. Join these two in an epic tale of love and betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

Odyssey of a Lost Mind

Chapter 1

_Almost there, almost there. _A shadowy figure made it's way through a dimly lit hallway. It turned it's back to the wall and peeked around the corner. _I should be there soon. Just have to keep going._ It shuffled around the corner and ran silnetly into a big room. The room was designed like a big circle. Besides the main floor on the bottom, there was another floor over it. the figure ran and jumped behind a pillar. The impact against the pillar forced it's hood to slide a little of it's head. Blond hair poked out from under it's hood. Emerald green eyes shone out into the darkness.

The figure looked out from behind the pillar. His green eyes scoped out the item in the middle of the room. A golden key sat on a pedestal. _There it is. Now I just have to get it…_ the figure looked around. _No one here._ He slid out from behind the cover and slowly made his way to the pedestal. When he was close enough, he reached up to grab the key. A smile appeared on his face. _This is too easy…_ The thought suddenly left his mind as he heard the sound of a sword coming out of it's sheath behind him. The figure quickly spun around, unsheathing it's own sword in the process. The clash of metal against metal rang out in the room. Another figure stood over the first one. Their swords met, as well as their eyes. The first figure's hood came off from the sudden turn, revealing his spiky blond hair and green eyes.

"Hello Alex." Said the figure that loomed over the first. Alex nodded. "Adam, I should have known you would be here. This couldn't have been this easy." Adam laughed. Alex pushed Adam away and slowly pulled himself off of the ground. "Well I guess that I can't get this item without a fight." Said Alex. Adam smiled, but didn't say a word. "Fine," said Alex. "Here I come!"

Alex rushed at Adam, who pulled his sword into a defensive stance. Adam blcoked Alex's sword and spun around for a counterattack. Alex ducked as the blade swung over his head. He saw an opening and rushed in. Adam performed a backflip, merely dodging Alex's sword. Adam slid across the ground, keeping his hand on the ground for balance. "Hmm…nice swordmanship. But, how are your reflexes?"

Suddenly, Adam disappears. Alex gasped and looked around him. He smiled as he knew what to do. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, listening for any sound that mght clue him of Adam's location. He suddenly swung his sword around, knocking away another. Adam reappeared in that spot. "I guess toying is not going to work anymore," He said, his face getting serious. "It's time to go all out!" Adam dashed towards Alex. Alex vaulted himself in the air. Adam smiled and jumped up towards him, sword outstretched. Alex's eyes opened wide. _I cant dodge in mid-air!_

He brought his sword up to his chest in time, barely blockign the tip of Adams sword. The force sent him flying back, through a pillar and into the wall on the second floor. Alex quickly stood up and looked around for Adam. _Where is he?_ Something was caught in the corner of his eye, and he swung his sword, slashing it to pieces. He looked at where it came from. Adam stood next to a pillar, where a piece was cut out. He put his foot on the banister and launched himself across the room. Adam cut another piece off of the pillar and kicked it towards Alex.

Alex cut it in half and still flew in the air. He noiced that Adam was gone. He landed on the other side, looking around. He heard a noise behind him and dodged to the side. Adam flew by him, running straight towards a wall. Adam put his feet on the wall and launched himself off of it. Alex blocked it, but the force pushed him through the banister and back down to the floor below.

Alex stood up and looked around for Adam. He was gone. 'Where are you!! Why do you always disappear!! Come out and fight like a man!!" Alex gasped as a voice came from right behind him. "Ok, then. I will." Alex felt the sword peirce his chest from his back. He looked down at the bloodied steel that protruded from his chest. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Adam stood there, laughing. Suddenly, Alex's body started to flicker and change colors. Then, a loud voice cried out. "Game Over"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alex looked down at the hole in his chest. "Damn, you got me again." The hole suddenly closed up, and the swords vanished from both their hands. The background behind them slowly started to dissolve, revealing a room full of arcade games. Alex and Adam stepped down from the podiums that they stood on. Two more kids quickly took their places on top of it. Alex sighed. "Why is it that I can never beat you on the Virtual?" Alex said, scratching his head. Adam laughed and shrugged. "What can I say? I am the best. Undefeated." Alex pouted. "Oh yeah, well you watch, I'll beat you one day."

Adam put his arm around Alex's shoulder. "Keep dreaming, buddy." Alex pushed Adam off and crossed his arms. "You'll see." Adam laughed and looked around. "Now what do you want to do?" Alex looked up. They had left the arcade and were now walking around the campus of Leinard College. "I don't know. What else is there to do?" Alex looked at his watch. "It's only 8 p.m. There should be something we could do. Geez, this college blows"

"It's too far to walk back to the arcade. And there really is nothing else I feel like doing. I think I'm just going to head off to bed." Said Adam. Alex turned to him. "What!! It's so early!!" Adam laughed. "You got anything better to do?" Alex sighed and waved Adam off. "Whatever. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Adam nodded and walked off. Alex turned and walked in the direction of his dorm room. Adam was right, there was nothing else to do. Alex had been told that college life would be fun, and that once you turn 18, nothing can hold you back. But that all came and hit him flat in the face. He was so free that he really found nothing to do.

Alex had just recently turned 18. He had spiky blond hair that was dyed black in some places, and his emerald green eyes could bore into a person's skull. Adam had been 18 for a while, and was soon to become 19. He had jet black hair that fell down over his face, nearly covering his eyes. His dark brown eyes topped off his dark complexion. When Alex reached his dorm room, he unlocked the door. When he opened it, he saw his roommate, Leon, playing videogames. "Eh, Leon? Don't you ever leave the house?" But Leon couldn't hear him. He had his earphones on, blasting his rock music.

Alex walked up to him and pulled one ear off. "I'M HERE!!" he yelled into Leon's ear. "Woah, what the…" Leon fell out of his chair, causing his character to die. "Dude, what's wrong with you!!?!" Alex fell over, laughing his head off. "That's not cool man." Leon reached for the controller, hitting the pause button. "Do you do anything other than play games all day?" Alex asked. Leon shrugged and sat back down in his chair. Alex laughed. "Your hopeless."

Alex jumped into his bed. He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. He thought about how he and Adam had become friends. Adam didn't live in Bastion his whole life. He had only moved here about three years ago, back when they were juniors in high school. Alex had been walking home from school, when he was surrounded by a group of boys. The boys were led by Aaron. Alex had dated Aaron's sister. He found that she had been cheating on him, so he broke the relationship. Furious, she went and told everyone that he had been cheating on her. So, now Aaron wanted revenge. Besides Aaron's posse, a big group of kids circled around, wanting to see a fight.

"Looky, looky. If it isn't the little weasel." Aaron chuckled. Alex sighed. "For the last time. Your sister is a liar. She was the one who cheated, not me." Aaron looked around. "You believe him guys? Well, I don't. Do you really think that I would believe a little greaseball like you over my own sister." Alex shook his head. "I really don't care if you believe me or not, but it's the truth." Alex turned and started walking away. Aaron stepped forward. "Don't you turn your back on me!! I'm not done talking to you!." Alex kept walking and looked over his shoulder. "Well I'm done talking to you."

Aaron quickly stepped up, preparing to hit Alex in the back of the head. Suddenly, he felt a strong blow to his face, knocking him to the ground. Adam stood over him, knuckles red. "You coward. Trying to hit a person when their back is turned" Alex turned and saw the scene. Aaron eyed the two of them. He put his hand to his face and rubbed his jaw, which had nearly been broken. He stood up slowly, never taking his eyes off of the both of them. Then he turned and pushed his way through the crowd, his little posse following close behind.

After that, throughout the last two years of high school and the week that they had been in college so far, Alex and Adam had become close friends. Alex laughed to himself as he recalled the event. He soon stopped laughing as he thought about how boring the next few years were going to be. _I need an adventure…_

Suddenly, Adam rushed into the room. "Alex! Come quick!" In the background, Leon fell out of his chair, surprised by Adam's sudden entrance. He threw the controller at the ground and ripped off the headphones. "Dammit!" he yelled. Alex ignored him and focused on the scared look in Adam's face. "What is it?" he asked. Adam looked behind him, then back at Alex. "You two should come see for yourselves."

The three of them walked out of the dorm room. "What the hell…" Alex muttered. The sky was turning black and lightning crackled in the sky. The clouds were all swirling into one big circle. Scream rang out in the distance. Alex ran over to the balcony and looked over. Big black creatures were chasing the citizens of Bastion. Alex watched in horror as a man was caught in one of the beast's clutches. The beast dug its claws into the man's stomach.

Alex backed away from the balcony. "What the hell is going on!? This can't be happening." A growl sounded from behind them, and they turned to see one of the monsters. Its mouth was open, and a red circle was forming in it. Suddenly, the red fireball was fired straight at Alex. "Watch out!" yelled Leon. He pushed Alex out of the way, the fireball hitting him in the chest. With a loud scream, Leon's body disintegrated in the air. "Leon!!" Alex cried.

The monster started to form another fireball.

"Go!" Adam yelled, pushing Alex forward. The fireball hit the wall behind them, sending bricks flying everywhere. "Adam, what the hell is happening!?" Adam shook his head. "I don't know, and I don't plan to find out. Keep running." Alex did keep running, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of the massacre that unfolded in the distance. Buildings were on fire, and screams came from all directions.

Another scream came from behind him. A monster had Adam pinned to the ground. "Adam! Oh no you don't…" Alex picked up a brick that had come off of the wall next to him. He ran at the monster, aiming the brick for its head. The monster looked up at the last moment. The brick broke on its head, sending it flying off of Adam. He helped Adam up.

Adam looked at the monster's limp body. "I think you killed it." Adam brushed himself off. Over his shoulder, Alex saw the monster get back up. It opened its mouth, forming one of those fireballs. "Watch it!" Alex pushed Adam out of the way, but he could not dodge it in time. The fireball hit him square in the chest. Alex screamed as pain flooded his body. He saw everything around him go white, before it all went black as he passed out from the pain.

_What happened? Am I dead? I must be in heaven._ Alex opened his eyes. A deer stood over him. _A deer?_ _There's deers in heaven?_ The deer ran away as Alex turned his head. _I'm not dead, but where am I? _Alex groaned in pain as he tried to sit up. His body ached all over. He finally managed to sit up. He looked all around him. He was sitting in a forest. _Where am I?_ Alex pulled off his shirt and looked at his body. He had no marks. _That fireball hit me directly, why am I not dead? Where did those monsters ceom from? Why did they attack Bastion?_ Alex's mind flooded with question

He stood to his feet and walked deeper into the forest. He finally reached a clearing and gasped. He was standing on the edge of a cliff. In the distance he saw a little village. Past the village, a giant castle towered over everything around it. Alex shook his head and rubbed his eyes. What he was seeing was true.

_Where the hell am I…? No….. When am I?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Princess Emily Garnett sat quietly on her bed in her room. She listened for any sounds that came from outside her room. She heard footsteps, as a knock came at her door. "Yes?" The castle maid opened the door. "Do you need anything, your highness?" Emily laughed. "No, I'm quite fine, thank you, Amelia."

Amelia bowed and turned to leave her room. "Oh, and Amelia?" Amelia turned back to her. "Yes, your majesty?" Emily smiled. "How many times have I asked you to just call me Emily and not Amelia?" Amelia looked at the ground. "One time more than the last, your majesty." She gave a slight smile and exited the room.

When the door closed, Emily quickly ran up to it. She put her ear to the door. When Amelia's footsteps completely faded, she dropped the piece of wood in place, locking the door. She ran over to her bed and pulled out a chest from under it. She pulled out a necklace from under her gown. The necklace had a key attached to it. She unlocked the chest and opened it. Inside, was a full set of armor, and a sword. She pulled out the armor, rolling it in cloth; she tied it to a sash that she put around her shoulders. She tied the sheath of the sword to her waist. Also from the chest, she pulled out a rope of blankets that had previously been tied together.

Tying one end to the foot of her bed, she threw the other end out of the window. She took one last look at her room, to make sure everything was in place, then she closed up the chest, locked it and shoved it back under her bed. She jumped out the window, grabbing hold off the blankets, and lowered herself down to the walkway below. She jumped down from the walkway and landed outside of the castle gates. She did all this with such grace from experience of doing it for 2 months now. No one was in sight, because she had planned her escape when the guards changed shifts.

She ran through the village, looking for the right house. When she finally found it, she made her way up to the front door. She knocked a pattern of knocks and the door was opened by a middle-aged man with curly brown hair. "Hello Emily. You're quite early today." Emily nodded and grinned. "I couldn't wait to get started, Uncle." The man smiled. "That's the spirit. Now just give me a minute." He walked into the next room, returning with his own sword and shield. Emily unrolled the pack and started to put on the armor. When she was done, she retied the sheath to her waist. "Ok, ready. "Good. Let our sparring practice begin."

About 2 months ago, Emily went to visit her uncle. Her uncle specialized in training the soldiers for the military and she begged him to train her. At first, he was against it, but he soon gave in to Emily's pleading. So every other night, Emily would sneak out of the castle and train with him. The sound of metal clanging rang out into the silent night as the two fought.

The next day, Emily walked down the stairs and entered the Dining Hall. Her parents already sat at the table, waiting for her. "Morning Mother, morning Father." They both nodded politely and she took a seat. "How did you sleep last night, dear?" her mother asked her. Emily grinned a little, remembering the sparring. "Rather well. I had a wonderful dream." Her mother smiled, then turned as the servants brought in the food. The plates were put on the table, and the servants left.

Emily heard the sound of metal against metal and looked out the window. The boys were sparring outside, all hoping to become great warriors one day. Emily gazed at the boys. She wished that she could be out there too, and that it wouldn't be seen as weird that a girl knew how to use a sword. "Dear?" she heard her mother say. Emily shook her head and looked at her parents. They both looked at her, with worried expressions on their faces. "Pardon?" Emily said. "I asked if you would like to say grace." Said her father. "I would be delighted to." The three bowed their heads and Emily said grace.

While they were eating, her father looked at her. "Emily, the king of Leiland is coming today. He will be coming with his son, Amos. That are here for important business, so I hope you show them respect." Emily smiled. "Don't worry, Father. I shall show them respect." Her father smiled. "Thank you Emily. This meeting means a whole lot to this kingdom."

After breakfast, Emily walked out to the training grounds and sat down, watching the young boys fight. They fought ruthlessly, using wooden swords, and no armor. Emily smiled as she caught herself sizing up each and every one of the boys. She memorized their battle tactics and found that she should easily be able to defeat most of them, even some of the older boys.

She heard a trumpet in the distance, then the shout of a herald. "King Raefel and Prince Amos of Leiland have arrived!" She sighed. She hated when guests come to the castle. She always had to act nice to them, even when they were snobs themselves. She focused on the sparring, getting her mind off of the guests. A few mintes past, when the door beside her opened and a young, man walked through it.

The man had fiery red hair and dazzling blue eyes. He jumped a little when he saw Emily sitting there. "Ah, princess? Didn't expect you out here. Watching the boys spar, eh? Isn't that a little too roughplay for you?" Emily stared at the man. Who was he?

The man stood silent, then pulled off his hat. "Oh, im dreadfully sorry, where are my manners." He bent down on one knee in front of Emily. "I am Prince Amos Harold III. Prince of Leiland." He grabbed Emily's hand and kissed it lightly, Emily looked in disgust at his fakeness. "Our fathers are having a meeting, so I decided to come out and show your boys how a real warrior fights. Now if you'll excuse me." He stood back to his feet and walked over to the sparring grounds. Emily's eyes followed him, a look of disgust on her face. She had only met him for two minutes now, and she already hated him.

Amos walked to the center of the circle, stopping the fight that already took place. "Hello, citizens of Pence. I am Prince Amos Harold III. I am the best warrior in all of Leiland. I am looking for a warrior who can put up a chalenge for me. We will fight fully clothed in armor and with real swords. Does anyone accept the challenge?"

Mumbles were heard throughout the crowd, but no one stepped forward. Suddenly the crowd parted and one man pushed his way to the front. "I accept." Emily noticed that the man was Derrick. Emily smiled. Derrick was one of he strongest men in Pence, he should be able to defeat Amos.

Amos looked at Derrick. "Good,good." Amos turned to Emily. "This win shall be dedicated to you, my princess." Emily snarled in disgust. Amos put on his helmet and unsheathed his sword. "Let's go then, shall we?" Derrick slid his helmet on and drew his sword too. "Ready when you are." Amos grinned. "Good."

With blinding speed, Amos dashed at Derrick. Derrick caught off guard, raised his sword to his face. He barely managed to deflect Amos' blow, but Amos soon withdrew and lunged out again. Derrick ducked under the blade, only to receive a blow to the stomach from Amos' knee. Derrick stumbled backwards and Amos jumped towards him. Derrick received a crushing blow to the chest, sending him onto the ground. Amos started laughing. "This country is weak." He looked back up at the rest of the crowd. "Isn't there anyone here who is worth the effort?"

Emily couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up and rushed into the castle. She ran into her room, locking the door behind her. She pulled the chest from under her bed and unlocked it. The armor and the sword reflected the light of the sun, making them look as if they were glowing. Emily smiled, and started putting them on.

Emily arrived just to see Amos striking down another one of the boys. "Haha, your all such ametuers. Haven't any of you actually seen battle? Is there anyone here who can make this trip worthwhile?"

"I will." A voice said from behind him. Emily walked towards Amos. "I will fight you." Amos looked at her, he didn't know that it was Emiyl ,cause she was fully dressed in her armor. "Who are you?" Amos asked. Emily drew her sword. "Does my name really matter. It's a battle you want, right?" Amos grinned, holding his sword in front of him. 'Very well then."

Amos dashed at Emily. He was fast, but Emily was still able to track his movements. She blocked his attack and then pushed him off. Amos stumbled fom the push. Emily dashed in, seeing an opening. Amos quickly recovered and rolled to the right, dodging Emily's blade. "Wow, very good. You almost had me there. But almost in not good enough."

Amos rushed in again. Emily, seeing Amos' battle tactics, quickly blocked and pushed him off again. Once again, Amos was left open, and Emily dahsed in. Amos put his sword up to deflect theb low, but at the last minute, Emily jumped to the left, and then lunged at Amos. Amos, caught off guard, could not respond in time to the sudden change of location. With a spinning strike, Emily's sword connected fiercly with the side of Amos' helmet. Amos fell backwards onto the floor.

He tried pull his helmet off, but had a little trouble doing it, due to he dent that had been made. He finally got it off and stared at it. "Bloody hell! Look at my helmet! I'll have to get a new one now." Emily grunted and turned to walk away. Amos looked up. "Wait, stranger. What is yor name?" Emily quickly thought of the first name that came to mind. "It's…Vincent." Amos grinned. "Good battle Vincent. You really caught me off guard with that last leap of yours. Now will you do me the favor of showing me your face, so that I may fight you if I were to ever see you again."

Emily laughed. "It is not important for you to see my face. I already know yours. I'll just challenge you." Emily started to walk away, glad to finally get away from the pressure. Suddenly, she felt a tugging at her head, and felt her helmet being pulled off her head. "I just want to see your…….face."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Emily's blonde hair fell around her shoulders. She heard everyone gasp around her, and turned to see a look of shock on Amos' face. She grinned at him. "Surprised?" Amos had a look of blankness on his face, before he started speaking. "P-p-p-princess? What are you doing?" He started sputtering, and then a look of anger came on his face. "I'm going to go speak with my father about this matter. Hmph, he wants to become allies with a country that not only trains girls, but trains the princess herself. Well, we shall see!"

With that he turned and ran off. Emily turned to see that the other people were still quiet. Some people muttered to their neighbors. Emily did not want to stay any longer so she quickly ran back to the castle. She sat in her room, feeling both triumphant and worried at the same time. She hoped that Amos would be too scared to admit his defeat to reveal her identity. What would her father do if he found out? Emily shuddered at the thought and pushed it to the side. She heard a commotion outside and looked out the window. The king of Leiland was heading back, with Amos strutting at his side.

"Good riddance." She said. She saw Amos turn back and look at the castle with a frown on his face. Emily was glad that she had done what she did. If Amos had told her father then he would have rushed up to her room already, so Emily knew that he didn't.

The next night, Emily snuck out again. She took her usual route and walked into the house of her uncle. "Uncle! I'm here!" Her uncle looked out from his bedroom and put his finger to his lips. "Shh!! Do you want to wake up the whole village? Give me a minute." He went back into his room, and returned wearing his armor and holding his sword. By the time he came out, Emily was dressed as well. "Ok, ready?" Emily nodded. Right as they were about to fight, they heard a "tsk tsk" from behind them. "I'm extremely disappointed in you, Emily."

Emily turned to see her father standing in the doorway, with two guards. He looked at Emily with a frown on his face. "I knew that you had been training, but I didn't expect it to be from my own brother. What do you have to say for yourself, Cid?" Cid laughed. "I have nothing to say, little brother. I thought that you would be pleased."

"Pleased? Why would I be pleased that my daughter is learning to become a warrior?" Cid looked at him. "If we were attacked, wouldn't you rather have extra troops instead of having them running away from battle? Emily wishes to learn how to fight so I will show her how to fight."

The king smiled. "No you wont, Cid. You wont be teaching my daughter any longer. Guards, take this man away. Have him beheaded for treachery against the kingdom." The guards looked at him wildly. "But, sir…" He looked at them. "Do you want to be beheaded for going against my command?" The soldiers shook their heads and grabbed Cid. They pulled him away, but Cid was smiling the whole time. "Goodbye, little brother."

Emily ran up to him. "No! Don't take him!" The king put his hand in the way of her path. "Move your hand! Would you really allow your brother to be killed?" The king didn't say a word but instead turned to Emily. "Emily, what in the deep depths of hell would make you fight Amos? I told you that they were coming and to treat them with respect, but you go and mess everything up. Because of that little mishap, I almost lost our treaty with Leiland!"

Emily crossed her arms. "That Amos is a fool, he was trying to make our entire kingdom look weak, someone had to put him in his place." The king glared at her. "By fighting him? Emily, do you even think before you do these things? Not only that but you are learning how to fight behind your fathers back!?"

"I want to fight father, I want to be able to protect my country when the time comes for battle." said Emily. "Emily, enough of this. Women will never enter the battlefield as warriors. You are 18 years of age now. Women at your age should be looking for a husband, not learning how to fight. As punishment, you will stay in your room until the preparations are complete."

"Preparations? Preparations for what." The king looked at her. "I told you that I almost lost our treaty with Leiland. There was one condition." he said. "What condition?" The king looked away. "Emily, you will marry Amos."

Emily's eyes opened wide. "What!" The king still looked away. "It is as I said. You will be wed to Amos." Emily shook her head. "No. No. I refuse." she said. "Emily you have no say in this, your lucky that your not going to be executed as well! You **will** marry him."

Emily shook her head. "No, no I won't!" She brushed past him, out of the house and down the road, heading the opposite direction of the castle. She heard her father calling her name but she didn't turn back. She would never turn back.

She made her way to the main gate of the village. The gate was open because they were bringing in supplies. Emily hid behind a crate, waiting for the men to turn their back. When they did, she ran out of the gate and into the forest.

_Im never going back there. Never!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Alex looked over the hillside at the scene below, not believing what he was seeing. _This is a dream,_ he thought to himself._ It has to be a dream. All I have to do is pinch myself and it will all be over._ Alex closed his eyes and pinched himself in the arm. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The castle still loomed in front of him. _You have got to be kidding._ He looked down at the village, watching the people as they moved about. A fire in the middle lighted up the village, allowing Alex to see the brick houses that lined the ground. Alex watched as the embers flew from the fire and headed towards him, only to disappear over his head.

_Well, if I want to find where I am, I have no choice but to head down there and ask one of them, _Alex thought to himself. He looked for a way down and saw that the hill he stood on descended down towards the main gate of the village. It would be a long walk, but nonetheless, he had nothing else to do. Alex sighed and made his way down. He wove his way around the trees, trying his best to follow the path that led through the forest down the hill. A sound from the bushes to his left made him stop, right as an arrow flew right by his head and into the tree close to him

"Whoa! What the hell!?" He yelled out in surprise. A deep voice came from the forest. "Don't move or the next one will be through your head." Alex tried to locate the source of the voice but failed. "Don't worry, man, I'm not moving." A rustling came from the bushes as a tall man made his way into the clearing. Alex looked him up and down, taking his features into memory. He had straight blond hair that was slicked back and reached down to the middle of his neck. He wore a normal shirt, but wore a type of mesh armor over it. The mesh allowed the user to move freely, but also provided the same protection as normal armor. He wore dark grey pants that were covered in a much looser type of mesh. In one hand, he held a bow, with an arrow knocked in his fingers. What surprised Alex the most was what was strapped behind the quiver on his back. Twin broadswords were sheathed on his back, proving to Alex that he wasn't just an archer.

The man eyed Alex with his blue eyes, before finally speaking. "Where do you hail from, trespasser?" Alex laughed. "Like you would believe me If I told you…" The man shot a quizzical look. "Which kingdom? Who sent you?" Alex rolled his eyes. "Nobody sent me, I don't even know why I am here." The man stepped closer to Alex. "State your name then."

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking others?" Alex said with a smirk. The man looked down, thinking if it were fine to state his name or not. Finally coming to a decision, he looked up at Alex. "My name is Gabriel Holland, Court Guard of Seere." Alex looked at the castle in the distance. "So this is Seere…" Gabriel dropped the aim of the bow. "Yes this is. Are you a spy of some kind?" Alex laughed. "No, I'm not a spy."

"Then why are you sneaking around the borderlines of our city?" Gabriel asked. "You won't believe me if I tell you." Alex said, looking away. Gabriel sighed. "Well, then I am going to have to take you in by force." Alex gasped as Gabriel suddenly rushed in, tackling him to the ground. He rolled him onto his stomach, and tied his hands with a rope he pulled from his belt. "What the hell are you doing?" Alex yelled, trying to break free of the binds. "If you aren't going to answer my question, then I will just have to assume you are a spy and take you in for questioning."

Gabriel grabbed Alex and lifted him onto his feet. "Now stop struggling or the trip to the castle will not be a pleasant one." Alex stopped his attempt to break free of the ropes, and just followed the path that Gabriel pulled him in. After a while, they finally reached the main gates to enter the village. Gabriel looked up and yelled at a man who stood atop one of the sides of the gate. "Anon, open the gate for me!" A dark skinned man who Alex presumed was Anon looked down over the edge, saw Gabriel, and turned to pull a lever. The gate opened slowly, which allowed Alex to get a better look at the village inside.

People crowded around as Gabriel pulled Alex inside and slowly walked towards the castle. Alex watched as they looked in amazement. Some of them smirked at him, and some refused to even look his way. They finally made their way up to the castle gate, which was guarded by four soldiers. One of the soldiers stepped forward. "Captain Holland! What do you need of us today?" Gabriel motioned towards Alex. "I just need you to open the doors so I can escort him to the dungeons." The soldier nodded and turned to the other guards. "Open the gate." Then he looked at Alex. "Another spy? He will make a fine companion for the other."

The gate fully opened and Gabriel entered the castle grounds. A big garden surrounded them, with a walkway that led towards the front doors of the castle. As Gabriel approached the doors, two soldiers opened them. Gabriel made his way into the castle and Alex gasped at the scenery. Everything in the castle looked elegant and expensive. Gabriel turned down a flight of stairs, which led to an underground dungeon. Gabriel moved to one of the jail cell doors and opened it. He unbound the ropes from Alex's hands and threw him in the cell.

Alex hit the far wall with a thud. He quickly stood and approached the bars. "Why am I in here? I already told you I wasn't a spy." Gabriel headed back towards the stairs. "A spy would have said the same thing. Now you will wait here until I return to question you." With that, Gabriel walked up the steps and disappeared into the upper levels of the castle. "Damn." said Alex, slamming his hands against the bars. He slouched against the far all, and sat with his back towards it. _What the hell happened? Why am I in the middle ages? Did the fireball somehow transport me back through time? There is so much I don't understand!_

Alex looked around the dungeon. It contained two cells, and the rest was just open space. Grime and dust lined the floors, and shackles hung from the wall. Scanning the room, he also noticed a dark figure in the corner of the cell. The figure was in a fetal position on the ground, most likely asleep. "So you're the 'other guy' huh?" Alex said aloud, hoping to wake the guy up. The guy shifted, lifting his head a little to look at Alex. Alex gasped. "Adam? What the hell are you doing here?"

Adam lifted himself off of the ground, but winced as he placed his left arm on the ground. "I was about to ask you the same question!" Alex looked at Adam's arm. "Are you hurt? What happened in Bastion?!" Adam shook his head. "I don't know. After you had disappeared, the monster quickly shot another fireball and hit me. The next thing I knew, I woke up here. Then that man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me, hurting my arm." Alex sighed and leaned back against the wall of the cell. "This is so confusing. I don't know what's happening anymore."

"Well, that isn't going to help us now, is it?" Gabriel said, as he walked down the stairs and entered the dungeon. He eyed the both of them. "You seem to be getting along well, do you know each other? Spies of the same region, perhaps?" Adam laughed. "He thinks you're a spy too?" Gabriel walked over to a pillar, and unstrapped the two swords from his back. He laid them against the pillar, along with his bow, and pulled up a chair. "Well, if you two aren't spies, then who are you, and why were you right outside of our kingdom?"

"You wouldn't believe us even if we told you." Alex said. "Well, why don't you try me?" said Gabriel. Alex looked at Adam, who shrugged. "We aren't from this time. We are from Bastion, a city in the future…" Alex proceeded to tell Gabriel what had happened.

"So…that's how it happened." Alex said. Gabriel sat back in his chair. "Is that it?" Adam sighed. "We told you that you wouldn't believe us." Gabriel laughed. "How could I? You want me to believe that you come from the future, where everything is powered by this enigma you call electricity. You tell me that your hometown was attacked by monsters who hit you with these balls of fire that teleported you to this world. It's just too farfetched to believe."

"Well, whether you believe us or not. We aren't spies." Adam said. "Although it is hard to believe you, your odd clothes support your story. Nobody dresses like you do around here. I do believe that you aren't spies, but it will still take some persuading to prove that you are from the future."

A loud bang erupted from upstairs. Gabriel looked up. "What was that?" The door to the dungeon opened, and a woman dressed in black made her way down the stairs. She wore a long black dress, and in her hand, held a dark wood cane. Gabriel looked at her. "Lillith? What is going on?" The scared look on her face made Gabriel worry. "Gabriel! We are being attacked!"


End file.
